Gur looks around. "You look around for a bit, I will try the next door so we are not leaving enemies behind us as we climb."
Rufus is completely in his element as he works his way through the alchemist's room. The room is packed with curios and medical oddities, including a complete alchemist's lab and four vials of antitoxin that appear to be recently crafted. You know that the materials in this room would fetch quite the price to an interested buyer.
Also among the supplies, you see a jar with green fluid in which there is a key. It just rests there at the bottom of the clear jar. What it would work though, you do not know.
The ladder in the southeast corner leads up, and Leeoli tests the trapdoor there to find it unlocked.
Gur moves to the next room and finds what looks to the be the study of a scholar. A roll-top desk with a leather chair stands against one wall, holding a variety of alchemical equipment and surrounded by hundreds of books piled on every available surface. A narrow cot is crushed into one corner behind a wall of books. A door stands in the north wall.
Cassidia chases one of the ringleaders into the crowd and swings mightily. The flat of her sword slams into the man's head and he takes two jerky steps before slumping to the ground.
Smaranda stands ready to defend herself and her newfound companions, even as Silas calls upon his goddess for reinforcement. Now mostly along against the mob, each feels the tension in the air and waits for what may happen next.
Hey!
Immediately after lays the man low, one of the townsfolk takes issue. Emboldened by his approach, others take up the cause, and they crowd around Cassidia, swinging wildly with their fists. None of them men come even close with their strikes.
The crowd
Cassidia
Silas
The half-elven woman was getting surrounded by the mob, cut off from retreat! Emboldened by how easy it had been to drop their assailants so far, Smaranda rushes down the courthouse steps to come up behind one of those swinging their fists at the lone woman. A low growl rises in her throat as kicks at the back of his knees.
That key is more than a little strange. I've seen nothing like it before.
Leeoli looks about the room, inspecting records.
Gur will walk over and open the other door, wary of the current surroundings.
"Enough of this damned rabble-rousing!!!!" Silas barks out.
He strides across the patio in front of the courthouse, lifts his heavy mace in two hands, and brings it crashing down on one of the instigators.
(pwr atk, furious focus, divine f, non-lethal, higher ground)
In the back of her mind Cassidia knew her antagonistic approach could only delay the crowd for so long, and it seemed the advantage they held had mostly run out.
Either enraged by her blatant targeting of the instigators or emboldened by her rushing alone into the crowd, she carefully lashes out at the first man brave enough to attempt to strike her and uses the mass of the mob to dodge or deflect the numerous punches and kicks being aimed at her as she uses the heavy weight of her blade to hurt the mob without killing anyone.
Bane effect still active, I think 2 rounds remaining.
AoO first, no studied target effect -
And regular attack against closest civillian -
Leooli searches about the room in search of pertinent records, but it doesn't seem like there's any valuable information in this chamber - it's more of a slaughterhouse and lab. However, as he makes his way around the room, he does notice something under the single bed...a chest!
Gur moves through the room quickly to the other door, his purpose seemingly clear. Alas, the door is locked...
Gur checks the keys he took off the dead man...
Leeoli can instantly see that the box is trapped, and that the mechanism to set off the trap is somehow connected to the latch. There's a keyhole that looks like it would automatically release the latch, thereby foregoing the trap, should one find a key.
Gur's key does, indeed, work the door. Beyond the locked door, a tiny room holds a single object - a large oak cabinet.
Cassidia lashes out as the townsfolk attempt to pummel her. He blade cracks out like a whip and lays one man low, his jaw no doubt broken and his head quite soundly thumped. She then turns, and swats aside another man, breaking his arm and sending him sprawling to the ground.
Silas confidently strides forward, and his mace batters its way through the man's meager defenses. It crashes into his face, crushing bone as it bears the man to the ground under its weight. The man does not seem to be able to get back up.
Smaranda jumps in, seeing Cassidia's predicament. She delivers a wicked kick to the back of one man's knees, and he falls backwards to thump his head on the ground. It then lolls to the side as the man blacks out.
The crowd seems to not want any more of this madness, and takes a pause, backing away. They move back a few steps and congregate, the remaining instigators attempting to recover some semblance of their fervor.
The crowd
Cassidia
Silas
Silas takes a 5' step back away from the crowd, towards the door.
"My goddess will judge the souls of law-breakers harshly in the afterlife!" He shouts above the din of the crowd.
"I, however, will not have to wait that long!"
He casts Blindness on the instigator 4 squares east of him.
Rufus takes a sharp breath. "Blood, on the bottom of the cabinet."
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Cassidia intently focuses on the angle of her blade, the sharp lethal edge kept away as she very much ignores the sounds of bones being broken and the screams of pain from misguided fearful men and the feeling those sounds cause to dwell within her. If ever there was a divide being doing right and doing good, this would be it.
With the mob hesitating and regrouping Cassidia uses the brief moment to raise her blade high, and with eyes blazing she shouts "Enough! Enough! You are better than this madness! Go! Home!"
Blood indeed.
Leeoli inspects the cabinet closer.
Nothing for it... Gur opens the cabinet.
Between Rufus and Leeoli, you can figure out that the jar is filled with a rather mundane, but painful acid.
Leeoli moves to the other room to track down Gur and takes note of the blood on the cabinet. A quick scan shows no traps or other markings, so Gur boldly opens the cabinet, to a very macabre display. Within hang nearly a score of flayed skins, hanging like empty sacks of flesh.
"What do you make of this my friend??"
These seem to resemble the victims whose murder the Beast has been accused. The Miller of Hargen, the woman from the Cerny Brothel, a merchant of some stature...and a university professor. And this one here, is from a creature of flesh, fur, and scales,who stood at least 8 feet tall. Note how the skin is covered with fungal boils and eruptions.
"Trophies of kills?" Gur seems to be put off by the vile nature of the cabinets contents.
"Perhaps. Shoddy work. Note how the incisions are all wrong, sawed at roughly as though the surgeon were all thumbs. There is no precision; no artistry in this. Mere butchery." Rufus tsks. "If these are trophies, they are poor specimens. And if they were used as grisly disguises, I don't know who they'd fool."
"Now, we found order receipts at Karb Isle Sanctuary for tender of certain body parts to this very alchymic factorie. Here, we see the debrided skins of various alleged victims. What else can we infer?"
This is maybe the most important clue we could have found. Let us take our time to inspect this cabinet thoroughly. Leeoli begins to catalogue each skin, removing them and laying them aside. He then inspects the ghastly cabinet itself.
Aha! What is this? A false back.
Leeoli pops the cabinet's false back, and it slides to reveal quite a bit of goods. Inside is five hundred gold's worth of miscellaneous coins, a silver drinking cup inlaid with obsidian with four hundred gold, and a syringe of six vials of a strange elixir.
In addition, the secret compartment contains what looks to be a ledger detailing customers who have purchased stolen cadavers and anatomical parts from Vorkstag and Grine. Many of the names Leeoli recognizes as local doctors and scholars, but two names stand out - Doctor Brada of Santcuary, and an unknown named Auren Vrood.
"A cache of money and incriminating business records. They must have anticipated being found out. My, Brada and Vrood have certainly ordered a great deal of...chattels. Has anyone heard mention of these names?"
He selects a vial of elixir, studying it in the dim light.
She didn't know what to say to reinforce the half-elven woman's words, so Smaranda decides to go with a show of force. Picking up a dropped club from one of the attackers, she tries to snap it over her knee.
You recognize Doctor Brada's name - he was the doctor at the asylum of Sanctuary on Karb Isle. His asylum was burnt to the ground and the doctor was killed - this is the third crime that the Beast has been accused of, and the one for which you are supposed to defend it in the morning. You do not recognize the name Auren Vrood.
The elixirs are vials of necromantic alchemical elixir - it's intended use is to maintain and control undead, typically.
Necromancy eh? Not a good look.
The instigator manages to shake off the ill effects of Silas's spell, and he immediately begins pointing and shouting. He tried to take over my mind! That one, he's going to try it on us all!
His calls are droned out, however, by the display from Cassidia. After Smaranda halts the crowd with a quick demonstration of her strength, Cassidia calls out in a voice that cuts through the maddened mob like a blade. After her call, more of the crowd seems to disperse.
As some members move away, the few remaining ringleaders seem to have a last-ditch idea. Two of them disappear for a second, and you see them trotting back, large ladders in hand.
Silas walks across the front steps towards the ladder bearers.
He is prevented from reaching them by the crowd, so he shouts "Out of the way!!!"
He lashes out at the one of the people in the mob. (marked with a red circle)
Smaranda sprints across the stairs, lashing out at one of the ladder-bearers with a fist.
Sensing the resolve of the mob faltering from the intensity of her words and the force of her actions, the hesitation of the civilians around her gives Cassidia a brief moment and she spies the man she stared down earlier, using the innocent to shield him from further danger, like the coward he was.
Before the moment is lost she charges forward and in the moment before she swings she briefly considers proclaiming judgement herself against the instigator but her hand stays the course and her sword courses to the injured man for another blunt strike - she would drag his battered but living self before the courts.
Smaranda and Silas dash out to attack the ladder-bearers, laying them both out nearly immediately. The two fall under the blows, the ladders slamming down to the side. None of the other townsfolk move to pick them up.
At the very same time, Cassidia lays low the last instigator - knocking him out cold before the man even hits the ground.
As the last of the ringleaders falls, the townsfolk look about in bewilderment and a bit of fear. As one, they begin to retreat away, some running outright and others cautiously moving backwards, hands raised to stave off any more efforts at force from the staunch defenders.
A few moments later, a group of trained militia arrives, armed and ready, but at this point largely useless. The man at their head rushes forward to address you. What happened here? I've heard tales of an angry mob rushing this very Courthouse.
Leeoli knows nothing of this Auren Vrood, even though he has a good handle on most here in Lepidstadt. Perhaps he's an outsider...
"Do not worry constable. My companions and I were here to keep order." Silas responds to the militia.
"You will find that we showed a great deal of forbearance and did not kill any of them, even after they offered direct violence and refused orders to disburse."
"Although, I imagine they will all be wishing that they had chosen a different path when they wake up after the beatings we delivered."
With the last of the instigators down and the civilians fleeing back into the night, Cassidia warily eyes the militia - they're late - but says nothing at the time, instead slowly sheathing her sword and tending to the few civilians injured in the fiasco, offering prayers and mantras in between practical healing advice and sending them off battered but alive.
Only once she is certain she's helped who she can does she return to the others and knock heavily on the courthouse door. "The danger has passed. Unbar the doors and bring manacles. Several manacles."
Smaranda stands on the steps of the courthouse, breathing heavily and looking lost and uncertain. She flinches from the militia's approach, instead hovering close to the half-elven woman as she tends to the injured. In a small voice, she asks. "What happens now?"
Cassidia looks between Smaranda and the militia and although her face remains mostly expressionless, her voice had taken a surprisingly gentle yet firm tone.
"Now? Tend the injured, arrest the instigators, and then I assume we look for Dura. She is our only lead." She gives Smaranda an inscrutable look up and down before saying "You are coming with us, yes? You have helped us, should you need it, we will help you."
Cassidia doesn't say anything about Smaranda being a Dhampir; Brother Silas trusted her, that was more than enough.
If no one stops him, Gur makes his way to the ladder and heads up.
The Constable pauses, considering Silas's words as he surveys the scene. Before he can reply, though, the doors to the Courthouse open to Cassidia's knocking. One of the guards - the older one that was hesitant to do anthing - opens it and looks about. Seeing no immediate threats, he steps out to stand near Silas, then addresses the Constable.
Was a right mob we had here, Simon. These are good folk, they're just scared and worked 'emselves up. Let 'em go on home and sleep it off, eh? They'll be better for it tomorrow.
Smaranda stares at the woman as she extends the offer to join forces. Both her and the imperious priest were intimidating figures, but they had also treated her fairly so far. Besides, they seemed sincere in their desire to help Charlie, so why not? She nods in response.
"The disposition of these rabblerousers is up to you, sir." he says to the constable.
In a louder voice he says
"My goddess is primarily concerned with their judgement in the afterlife and she has a long memory."
"Agreed." Silas answers when Cassidia mentions next steps.
He looks to Smaranda considers her for a moment and says
"You are welcome with us."
Gur moves back through the very intriguing bedchambers of Vorkstag and into Grine's room. He heads up the ladder and enters into a room of strange art and artifacts from distant lands. Apparently Grine was a bit of a collector.
Another ladder leads up and you follow it to a tower room with slatted timber windows. You're currently about sixty feet above the ground. The only thing worth note in here is the roof above, which is topped with a copper lighting rod in the form of a raven eating a wolf.
The Constable, Simon apparently, looks at the guard, then back at the open door to the guardhouse, as if to question why he was hidden away in there. Very well...I don't need the paperwork this evening either. But, whoever led this crew is going to have to be held accountable. He looks to Silas. Mind pointing them out for us, Mister....?
"Brother Silas" Silas supplies helpfully to the constable.
He steps to the edge of the porch on the front the courthouse and points out the unconscious ring-leaders.
"Those men seemed to be better armed, organized, and inciting the common folk to violence. That is why we targeted them and beat them unconscious."